


Wherever You Are

by LoNgWaYdOwNsHiP



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon Rewrite, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mpreg, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:14:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25675687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoNgWaYdOwNsHiP/pseuds/LoNgWaYdOwNsHiP
Summary: “Think no one heard ya this mornin’?,” Merle grunts, causing Daryl’s stomach to twist in alarm. “Or the past three mornin’s, little brother?”
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes, Lori Grimes/Shane Walsh, Madison Clark/Travis Manawa
Comments: 11
Kudos: 58





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame my friend Felicia for this fic. We were watching Fear the Walking Dead and she said Nick was Daryl and Rick's lovechild, and I couldn't get that out of my head. So now we have this lol. It's a WIP, but I hope anyone who reads it likes it. :) I don't have a beta for this either, so sorry for any mistakes.

**_Daryl_ **

Daryl wasn’t ready. He’d  _ never  _ be ready, not for this, not to do it alone, but he had to be. He’d thought when he met Rick, at 16, that they’d spend their lives together. He’d thought that meeting Rick, marrying him, having a  _ family  _ with him, was God’s way of saying  _ ‘sorry for all the shit I let happen to you, here’s some happiness’. _ Now here they were 20 years later, the world is ending and his family has fallen apart. 

Their oldest, Nick, is somewhere on the West Coast. He’d fallen in with the wrong crowd, developed a heroin addiction, and broke his parents hearts, when he ran away last year. He’d called them on his 18th birthday to let them know he was alive, but he wasn’t planning on coming home. Daryl didn’t know where they went wrong, he made sure his sons never had to experience what he and Merle did growing up, but it hadn’t been enough for Nick to overcome that Dixon blood.

Their youngest, Carl, was very much still Daryl’s baby boy, even though he was starting to be quite the big 8 year old. Sweet, kind and smart, he embodies everything Daryl still loves about Rick, and now he was in danger. Out here, with the dead walking around,  _ eating _ people. All Daryl could focus on was keeping him safe, Carl was what mattered now, with Rick gone.

Rick Grimes, he’d fallen in love with him as a boy, started a family and married him as a man. It had felt like their love had only grown stronger over the years.  _ Nothing  _ was gonna separate them, except death. When Shane pulled up outside Carl’s school, without Rick, Daryl had felt like his own heart had stopped. When Shane had told him, Rick had been shot and was in a coma, he had hope. Rick was a  _ fighter _ . He was not going to leave his family, leave Daryl. When Shane had come for them, when he’d said that Rick was  _ gone _ , that  _ Rick _ had died, Daryl lost it. How could he be strong for his son, when his strength had died with Rick? Had Merle not been there to help Shane get him and Carl out of there, Daryl doesn’t think they’d have made it. As it was, it was only after Carl began crying for Rick, for his  _ daddy _ , that Daryl even allowed himself to be moved from their house. Their  _ home _ . He didn’t look back, he couldn’t.

Now they had a camp and a group of survivors, it wasn’t as safe as he would have preferred, but it was out of the city where the real danger lurked. He had Merle, Shane and Lori to help him keep Carl safe. So Daryl could hunt to feed the group without worry, but what he really wanted was to cry where Carl couldn’t see, to mourn where Carl wasn’t reminded of what they’d lost. 

So no, Daryl wasn’t ready, not for the dead to come back, not for his eldest to be so far away from him, not to raise his youngest alone. Daryl wasn’t ready to go on without Rick, but he had too.

**_Nick_ **

He’d  _ killed  _ him, fucking  _ shot  _ him, he didn’t mean too! It wasn’t even  _ his  _ gun, Calvin had pulled it on  _ him _ , Nick had only been defending himself. It’s not like he was even going to tell anyone about Calvin’s dealing, he had just needed to see what it had been  _ laced  _ with. That’s all! He just needed to know if what he  _ saw _ was really what he saw. It was the only explanation that had made sense, of Gloria, what she did, what she looked like. He  _ trusted _ Calvin, he had never gotten bad shit from him before, and now he’s dead. Nick had  _ killed _ his friend.

Nick sat there, staring at Calvin’s lifeless body, blood pooling around him, having no idea what the  _ fuck  _ to do now. He wanted his dad, wanted his  _ dami _ , hell he’d even take good ole’ uncle Merle at this point. The noise of the city around them seemed to grow louder and more chaotic the longer he sat there, asking himself what the hell his parents would do.  _ Not  _ get their asses into a situation like this, that’s for damn sure! He wanted to go home, and had  _ never _ felt so damn homesick before in his life. 

Calvin’s hand began to twitch, fingers moving slowly, like he can’t remember how to work them.

“Calvin?” Nick whispered in shock, could he still actually be alive? Nick quickly stumbled to his feet and cautiously moved closer to Calvin, who was pushing up on his knees.

“Hey man, you ok?” Nick asked, reaching out to grab Calvin’s shoulder, who turned, showing Nick his glazed over eyes and a snarling mouth that just missed Nick’s hand as he jerked it back in shock. Nick scrambled back further, eyes glued to the stumbling form of his friend, as Calvin’s body moved awkwardly. His arms coming up to reach for Nick, as his mouth was open wide in a snarl.

Nick realized that this couldn’t be Calvin, as he moved around the car out of Calvin’s reach. There was no intelligence in his eyes, he wasn’t quick, but slow and stumbling, like he had had too much to drink. Calvin slowly made his way around the car, dead eyes locked onto Nick. Nick continued to back away, one hand touching the car and leading him around it, as he took in this  _ creature _ that had replaced Calvin. Nick slipped in Calvin’s blood, and almost lost his footing completely. 

They were back where they started, out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw the gun laying on the ground. Calvin was coming around the tail end of the car and would be on Nick in moments. Nick ducked down, quickly grabbing the gun, and then diving into the car, slamming the door shut after. Calvin’s hands pressed on the window as he smashed his face against the glass, as if trying to bite Nick through the window. Nick locked the door and then scrambled over into the driver’s seat. Of course, the keys were not in the ignition or the floor. Calvin probably had them in his pocket, after he had got what Nick is assuming was the gun, out of the trunk.

Nick looked over at Calvin, who was still trying to eat him through the glass, he needed those keys. He knew now that what he saw the other night was real, that Gloria had OD’d and came back, that she had killed and eaten their other friends. 

The world was ending, or at least changing, and he needed to get back to his family. He didn’t have anyone out here, not anymore. He’d come out here with Gloria and a few other friends, looking for thrill and excitement he couldn’t get back in King’s County, Georgia. He should’ve never left, should’ve gone back home when his dad begged him too, but he didn’t. 

Now he was all the way across the country, the dead were attacking and Nick needed to get home. He  _ needed _ those damn keys. Nick looked at the gun he still had in his hand, which was shaking, either with fear and adrenaline or withdrawals. He’d already shot Calvin once, and  _ look  _ at him now, blood smeared on the glass and Calvin’s face, dead eyes staring blankly at Nick, still  _ trying _ to kill him. How the fuck was he supposed to get those keys without Calvin taking a chunk out of him? And what would happen to him if he did get bit? Would he become like Calvin?

Calvin began to stumble around the front of the car, finally realizing there were two sides on the car? Nick took a deep breath and quickly stepped out pointing the gun at Calvin, who didn’t even acknowledge the weapon. Nick backed up again, hand trembling as he tried to keep the gun steady on Calvin. Calvin who kept coming towards him. BANG! Nick jumped from the loud sound of the gun going off, rapidly taking steps back and away from Calvin and good thing since Calvin was  _ still _ coming at him. He’d shot him in the shoulder and it hadn’t even  _ fazed _ him. Nick took aim, arm shaking wildly and shot again, completely missing Calvin this time. Nick quickly slipped around the lumbering Calvin, deftly staying out of his grip and away from his teeth. 

Nick held the gun with both hands now, feet braced apart, just like his dad had taught him. He took a deep steadying breath and squeezed the trigger, bullet hitting Calvin right between the eyes and knocking him backwards. Nick stood still, breathing heavily and waiting to see if Calvin was gonna get up once more. After a few long moments, Nick finally relaxed his stance and crept closer to Calvin, trying to stay prepared, just in case. Finally Nick was able to pull Calvin’s keys from his jacket pocket, he quickly jumped in Calvin’s Honda and sped away. 

**_Alicia_ **

“Come on, answer the  _ phone _ already!  _ Come _ on... _ oh _ Calvin!  _ Finally _ ! I’ve been texting you all da-”

“Alicia?” Alicia stopped pacing her living room abruptly, causing her mom to run into her from behind instead of slipping by.

“ _ Nick _ ? Why do you have Calvin’s phone?” Alicia asked suspiciously. She’d never really liked Nick, always thought he was a bad influence on her boyfriend. Calvin told her that he knew Nick from when they were kids and he just wanted to help him get clean. Alicia didn’t think a junkie like Nick would ever kick the habit and he’d just take Calvin down with him.

“I uh-” Nick sighed and then began again, voice breaking, “I’m so  _ sorry  _ Alicia.” Her heart dropped into her stomach at the sorrow in his voice. “I can explain. I can... _ just _ ...let me  _ explain _ . I’m so sorry.”

“So explain then, Nick” Alicia’s mom gestured at the phone, having never left the room after hearing the change in her daughter’s tone. Alicia switched the phone to speaker, as her mother’s boyfriend Travis came into the room as well. Looks like Nick was explaining to all of them.

“Calvin was  _ never  _ trying to get me clean, never even  _ knew  _ me as a kid, that was just a  _ story  _ he made up. He...uh...he didn’t want  _ anyone  _ to know he was dealing. He never wanted me to get clean, he...uh...he just needed people to  _ believe  _ that, think he was saving money for college or somethin’. Me getting clean would have been bad for business ya know? Me n’ Gloria...we’d...we would buy from him on the corner n’ then go to the church to shoot. I’m  _ sorry _ , Alicia, I...I  _ didn’t  _ care that we were lying to you, I just wanted my  _ high _ , ya know?” Chris, Travis’ son walks in the room and stops when he sees the three of them surrounding Alicia’s phone listening intently.

“Then the other night, me n’ Glo we...uh...we scored from Calvin and went to the church, like we  _ always  _ do...and she was  _ with  _ me when I nodded,  _ yeah  _ she was right there! But  _ after _ when I went down, Gloria...she was…I  _ thought  _ I  _ saw  _ her...there was  _ blood _ ....I ran...I just ran...right into the road, got hit by a  _ damn  _ car! Ended up in the hospital, but I...I just...I  _ couldn’t  _ stay there, I  _ needed  _ to know...know if what I saw was  _ real _ , Alicia, that’s  _ all _ I wanted. So I called Calvin...I just needed to know if what we shot was  _ laced _ ...I just needed to  _ know  _ yeah? But Calvin must’ve thought...God, I don’t know what he thought  _ Alicia _ ! But he drove me to the canal...I just thought we were gonna  _ talk  _ about it...what was in that  _ shit _ ! But Calvin had a gun! He had a gun and he tried to...He was gonna  _ kill  _ me, Alicia! So I grabbed it and we...we struggled and I…I shot him! I shot him and I’m so  _ sorry Alicia _ .”

Alicia bent over at the waist, heart breaking, as Nick confessed, tears clogging up his throat. Calvin’s dead, killed by his own  _ customer _ .

“He was  _ dead _ . I  _ killed _ him. But then he got  _ back  _ up, but it wasn’t...it  _ wasn’t  _ Calvin! Alicia, it  _ wasn’t _ ! He was stumbling, like uh like he didn’t know how to  _ walk  _ anymore, and he kept….he kept trying to  _ bite _ me! So I grabbed the gun and  _ I _ ...Oh God I shot him  _ again _ ! But he  _ kept  _ coming! He was shot in the chest  _ both  _ times, Alicia! It didn’t even  _ faze _ him! I had to...I had to shoot him in the  _ head _ . He didn’t...he didn’t get up again. I’m so  _ sorry _ , Alicia!”

“ _ Nick- _ ,” Alicia said brokenly, tears streaming down her face, as her family stared at her phone in horror, at what Nick had just told them. It didn’t make sense what he was saying, she remembered the video she’d seen, of the man the police shot. He kept coming at them too, until they shot him in the head.

“She was  _ eating them _ ,” Nick whispered. “ _ Gloria _ , she was  _ eating _ them, there was  _ blood _ on her mouth, it’s...it’s  _ why  _ I ran. It’s what Calvin was gonna do to  _ me _ . If I hadn’t...I don’t know what to  _ do _ , Alicia. My family’s  _ across  _ the country, I  _ killed _ my only friend  _ left  _ in the world. Who was also my  _ dealer _ , and I’m probably gonna  _ die _ from withdrawals before I ever  _ see  _ my parents and brother again. I don’t know what to  _ do. _ ” Nick’s voice had risen with his rising panic.

“Nick, this is Alicia’s mother Madison,” Madison took the phone away from Alicia and began to give Nick directions to their house. Alicia wasn’t surprised, her mom was a guidance counselor after all. If everything Nick had said was true, Alicia didn’t want to leave him to face it alone. Which  _ did  _ surprise her, one would  _ think  _ that hearing your boyfriend’s murderer  _ confess  _ to killing one’s lying boyfriend, would make one want to  _ kill  _ the murderer, not  _ help _ him.

“He’s coming with  _ us _ ?” Chris asked in alarm. They had already been packing up ready to leave, Travis said it wasn’t safe in the city, so they were headed for the desert. It was why Alicia was trying to reach Calvin, she didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye. Now she wouldn’t get too, and she wasn’t sure about how she felt about that. Nick said Calvin tried to  _ kill _ him. He’d said that Calvin had been  _ lying  _ to her, from the  _ start _ , was anything he’d ever told her  _ real? _

“We can’t  _ leave  _ him! He has  _ nobody _ ! He’s always been kind to me, even when I wasn’t so nice to  _ him _ .” Alicia didn’t think she’d  _ ever  _ be defending Nick. But after knowing the truth, she couldn’t just leave him, maybe that was stupid of her but he wouldn’t survive, not without someone’s help.

“He’s a  _ junkie _ ! Who just admitted to  _ mur-der _ ! And you  _ trust  _ him to come with us? You heard him, he's probably gonna  _ die _ , he’s just a  _ danger  _ to us!” Chris insisted, turning to his father, probably hoping for his agreement in the matter.

“We’re  _ not  _ leaving him, Chris. It’s  _ not  _ up for debate. Now finish loading the car.” Travis said sternly, ending the brewing fight. Chris sulked off. 

When Nick pulled up fifteen minutes later, her mother’s car and Travis’ beat up truck were loaded down, with Chris brooding in the truck. Nick was hugging himself when he came around the car, tremors shaking his whole body, and sweat having caused his greasy brown hair to mat down to his forehead.

  
  


“Here take these, we need to get your fever down.” Madison rushed over to him, pills already in her hand. Travis handed Nick a bottle of water from the back of his truck. “Come on, you’re gonna ride with Alicia and me.” Madison ushered Nick over to her car, squeezing him into the full backseat. “Here’s a bucket, try and get some sleep.”

“Thank you,” Nick whispered. “I  _ don’t  _ deserve it, but  _ thank  _ you.”

“ _ Everyone _ deserves a second chance, Nick.” Madison assured him, before shutting the door.

“Alicia,  _ I’m- _ ”

“You  _ don’t  _ have anything to be  _ sorry  _ for, Nick.” Alicia couldn’t take hearing him beg forgiveness anymore. “It was  _ self defense _ . You don’t need my forgiveness for  _ anything  _ but lying to me about trying to get clean, and I’ve given it. So just  _ stop _ , Nick, and go to sleep.” 

Nick didn’t try to apologize anymore, he passed out before they even got out of her neighborhood. Alicia was thankful for the quiet, but she was also curious and this was the best time for her to get an answer.

“Why did you decide to help him?” Madison glanced at Alicia quickly, before turning her eyes back on the road. “You only met him the  _ one  _ time, and Travis  _ wouldn’t  _ have agreed to help him on his own, but he didn’t even  _ argue  _ about it.”

“He reminded me of your dad,” Madison answered quietly. “The way he was with people, when he was feeling  _ good _ , Nick reminded me of  _ him _ . And I’d like to think that if you were alone and needed help, that  _ someone  _ would help you.” Madison reached across the console and grabbed Alicia’s hand. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.” Alicia said, turning back to look out the window.

**_Nick_ **

The  _ plan  _ had been for them to stay in the desert, at some campgrounds that Travis usually camped at with Chris, until things got  _ better _ . Nick knew it wasn’t going to get better, there’s no  _ getting  _ better from “ _ The Dead Walk Amongst Us _ .” Of course Nick was in no shape to really argue that point, having already had one seizure, before Madison revealed she had some leftover painkillers from some procedure. She was tight-fisted with them too. Had to make them last, she’d told him after he had tried to weasel some more out of her. He needed to be weaned and she controlled that completely, it wasn’t like they could easily get more once they ran out.

Nick didn’t mind that, kind of reminded him of his  _ Dami _ , he still remembered the way his  _ Dami  _ had helped his Uncle Merle get clean. With a whole lot of tough Dixon love. Sure, he was an addict, but he also  _ wanted _ to get clean this time. He was going home and his  _ Dami  _ had been  _ very _ clear. Nick  _ had  _ to be clean if he was going to be around Carl,  _ Dami  _ didn’t bend on that in the slightest,  _ even  _ for Nick. Not that he blamed him at all,  _ Nick  _ was the one with the problem, he was sick.

They were only at the camp for a few days, before the Wasted came through. There had been quite a few people at the campsite and more had arrived after them. Each coming with new information on just how  _ fucked _ the world was. Nick had told Alicia and her family from the start, that he  _ was  _ going home. There’s no way his dads aren’t alive, which means his brother is too, all he needs to do is find them. They insisted he wait, until he got better.

It happened in the middle of the day, which is the  _ only  _ reason they made it out alive. There were  _ so  _ many and they had gotten separated in the race for the cars. Nick had gotten knocked down, one of the wasted on top of him. Another camper had cut it’s fucking  _ head _ off! And Nick had ended up  _ drenched  _ in it’s blood, which is  _ exactly _ when he realized he could walk through this world  _ among _ the dead, with the right camouflage on. The dead at the grounds had walked right by him, and Alicia and her family were shocked when he made it to the vehicles unharmed.

They headed East, at Nick’s direction, having nowhere else better to go. After all, where was safe now? For Nick, safety was  _ wherever  _ his family was. This family didn’t have to come with him, but he was going no matter what. So they headed East, staying off the highway best they could and avoiding large cities. They avoided other people as well, knowing that this world was gonna bring out the best and, more importantly, the  _ worst _ of people. People were shitty before the world ended, when there were laws and the threat of prison, now people were just as deadly as the Wasted. 

They’d come across a few campsites, where it was  _ obvious  _ something even more sinister than the Wasted had killed the inhabitants. So they stayed away from people and they painted themselves with the blood of the dead, it was  _ gross _ , but it was safer. Of course, they were only  _ slightly  _ successful in avoiding people. They’d ran into some trouble crossing Louisiana. Madison had gotten shot in the shoulder, they had no medicine and no medical training even if they did. Nick had broken into an abandoned hospital to get medicine.

That was the only time since he kicked the habit that he was tempted to take it for himself, but Madison and her family had helped him and they didn’t have to, they’d come with him to find his family and they didn’t have to. So he got painkillers and antibiotics for Madison, as well as a suture kit. They didn’t think she was gonna make it, but she was a fighter, a  _ survivor _ . 

And now here they were, fifty miles out of King’s County, Nick just  _ hoped  _ his family was still there.

**_Rick_ **

“ **That vase has something special** ,” Rick croaks out of his extremely dry throat. “ **Fess up. Did you steal it from your Grandma Gene’s house? I hope you left her that spoon collection** .” Rick coughed, trying to clear his throat. He was expecting a smart-ass remark from his partner, but there was only silence. 

“ **Shane?** ” Rick looked over at the vase Shane had brought, the flowers looked dried up and dead. 

“ **Shane, you in the john?** ” Rick asks as he grabs one of the petals and it breaks off and falls apart. He looks at the clock on the wall, which has stopped working. He tries to get up, but he feels weak, his body protesting every movement. He falls out of the bed, the ground not caring how much he already hurts. 

“ **Nurse. Help.** ” Rick wheezed, “ **Nurse, help!** ” He only gets more deafening silence, no chatter in the halls, no machine whirring or beeping. Nothing, but Rick’s own heavy breathing. He struggles to his feet and into the bathroom, where he turns the water on. He struggles with drinking water from the tap, but he’s so damn thirsty that he doesn’t care. Afterwards he leaves the room, pushing away a gurney from in front of his door. 

The hall is deserted and in disarray, gurney’s knocked over and paper all over the floor. It’s dark like there’s no power. Rick makes his way over to the desk, picking up the phone, but there’s no dial tone. The further Rick walks down the hall, the more disturbed he becomes. There’s blood and bullet holes all over the walls. Rick stops at a set of locked doors with big writing, “ **_Don’t open. Dead inside._ ** ” He steps closer, and the doors begin to push against the lock and chain, dirty pale hands reaching through for him. 

Rick runs away from them and into a pitch black stairwell, he carefully makes his way down, legs shaky underneath him. When he first opens the door to outside he’s blinded by the bright light of the sun. His eyes hurt as they adjust and he can look around in stunned horror at the destruction and death around him. There are so many dead on the ground in body bags, military vehicles and tents, even a helicopter, but it’s all abandoned and destroyed. There’s no one alive here but Rick, he’s all alone.

By the time he gets to his house, Rick is terrified, he rushes inside in a panic. The hospital parking lot was full of bodies and he’s praying none of them were Daryl or Carl. Thank God, Nick wasn’t here when  _ whatever  _ happened went down. 

“ _ Daryl _ !  _ Carl _ !” Rick calls running through the house, and finding each room empty. “ _ Daryl _ !  _ Carl _ !” He calls desperately but no one answers. They aren’t here. He falls to the ground, tears streaming down his face. “Where is my  _ family _ ?” he sobs. “Is this even  _ real _ ?” Rick asks himself looking at his shaking hand, maybe he’s still in a coma, stuck in a nightmare.

Rick stumbles outside, sitting down on the concrete steps in their front yard,  _ their _ home. His and Daryl’s. His family was gone. Rick felt broken without his family. He looks up and sees someone walking down the street. Rick brings his hand up, maybe they could help him find his family. He hears movement behind him and turns his head. WHACK! 

“ **Carl** ?” Rick is confused, his vision blurry. The kid starts calling for his daddy,  _ not _ Carl then. Rick turns and barely sees a man walk up and shoot the other in the head, before running over to them. The man starts questioning him, but Rick passes out. 

He wakes up later, tied up on a bed, a young black boy standing to the side with a baseball bat, but Rick’s focus is soon on what he assumes is the kid’s dad. He’s in the same room, wiping his hands off.

“ **Got that bandage changed out, it was pretty rank. What was the wound?** ”

“ **Gunshot** .”

“ **Gunshot? What else? Anything?** ”

“ **Gunshot ain’t enough?** ”

“ **Look I ask and you answer. It’s common courtesy right? Did you get bit** ”

“No, just a gunshot. Woke up in the hospital, just before you found me. Came straight home looking for my husband and son.” All Rick wanted was to find his family. The man walks up to him, reaching out with his hand to feel Rick’s forehead.

“You’re not running a fever, if you got bit or scratched you would be, and that’s what kills you, the fever.” The man holds up his knife, “You try anything I won’t hesitate, understand?” Rick nods his head, he just wants answers to what’s going on. The man cuts him loose and Rick tries to rub some feeling back into his hands as he sits up carefully.

“You shot that man. Why?” Rick asks, warily watching the man.

“You really just woke up to this? You don’t know about the dead? The Walkers?”

“I’m a Deputy Sheriff, a suspect shot me during an altercation and I woke up in the hospital,  _ today _ . There were flowers all dried up like they’d  _ been  _ there awhile.”

“You must’ve got shot just when it was all starting. The dead came back, just started attacking people, and if you get bit or scratched, you become one of them. Nothing stops them unless you get the brain, something in the brain that brings them back. Only way to put them down.” He gestures for Rick to follow him and heads into the dining area, where him and his son are fixing to eat.

“Come on, Sheriff. You must be hungry.”

“Rick. My name is Rick Grimes.” He says peeking out the heavy blankets, they’ve nailed up over the windows. He can make out people, no,  _ walkers  _ in the street.

“Well come eat, Rick. Names Morgan and this is my son Duane.” Morgan starts putting some beans in a bowl and passes it to his son. “We need to stay away from the windows and keep as quiet as we can, they’re  _ drawn  _ to sound. I fired that shot earlier, brought them all out, shouldn’t have done that.” Rick nods his head in acknowledgement, he could keep quiet.

That night as he laid down, Rick swore to himself he would find Daryl and Carl, and then they would find Nick. Rick refused to believe his family was forever lost to him. He  _ would _ find them.

The next day, after showing Morgan that Rick could kill a walker, they went with him over to his house. Rick looked around with fresh eyes, and saw what he had missed in his panic yesterday. He quickly changed his clothes and went back downstairs where Morgan and Duane were waiting. 

“My family’s alive.” Rick informs them.

“What makes you think that?” Morgan asks, having told Rick of the loss of his own spouse recently, he finds it hard to believe.

“Daryl’s hunting gear is gone, clothes, even some spare ammo I had in the closet,  _ gone _ .”

“Someone could’ve come at any point and taken any of those things.” Morgan stated skeptically.

“Would they take our family photos too? Not many of them, but all of Daryl’s favorite’s are all gone.”

Morgan laughed and ran his hand down his face. “My wife...did the same thing, I was packing survival gear and she was packing photo albums.” Morgan’s throat catches on tears and Rick steps forward, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder.

“Daddy!” Duane whispers, “Someone’s coming in a truck!” Morgan and Rick both rush to the window, where Duane is. Morgan pulls his son away from the window, as Rick ducks down by the curtain, to stay out of sight but still see outside. The truck pulls up  _ outside _ Rick’s house, a dark haired man behind the wheel, a blonde haired female passenger and three teenagers sitting in the back. One of the teens has his head through the back window, speaking to the driver. Rick can’t get a good look at him, but he can see the others. A slim boy with copper skin and black hair, must be the driver’s son. A brunette girl, hair pulled up in a high pony, could be related to the other female. Might just be a family?

“It’s a man and woman, with three teens. Two boys and a girl.” Rick informs Morgan and Duane quietly. “I don’t see any weapons.” At that point the third teen pulls his head out of the window and stands up looking at Rick’s house. Rick immediately recognizes those features. His eldest had taken after Rick’s own mother, with her dark eyes and cheekbones. “ _ Nick _ .” Rick whispers. “Nick!” He yells, running out of the house and down the steps. Nick jumped out of the back of the truck, and ran up to throw himself into Rick’s arms. Even though Nick was  _ slightly  _ taller than both him and Daryl, in that moment Rick felt like his son was  _ small  _ all over again, the way he squeezed Rick close.

“You’re alive.” Rick whispers squeezing his eldest tightly in return. “You’re  _ here. _ ” Nick pulls back and smiles, the spitting image of his grandmother. 

“Where’s  _ Dami _ ? And Carl?” Nick asks looking up at the house, where Morgan and Duane are standing apprehensively. 

“They’re not here. I...uh...had an accident at work.” Rick began.

“I didn’t know you called getting  _ shot _ , an accident.” Morgan helpfully called over. 

“You got  _ shot _ ?!” Nick exclaimed, looking Rick over for the wound.

“I’m fine.” Rick insisted.

“He was in a coma,” Morgan happily informed. Rick thought he sounded like he was  _ enjoying  _ himself. He’s not sure what he did to deserve this. 

“ _ What _ ?!”

“Nick, I’m  _ fine _ . I was in a coma,  _ but  _ now I’m awake. Your  _ Dami  _ and brother aren’t here, but we’re gonna go find them ok?”

“How long were you in a coma for?” Nick asks, like he doesn’t trust Rick to be honest about his condition.

“Woke up yesterday, had  _ no  _ idea about the walkers.” Morgan again inserted. This was  _ not  _ helping.

“That’s  _ two  _ months, Dad! That’s not fine!” 

“Perhaps we can continue this conversation  _ inside _ ?” The dark haired man suggested, pointing down the street, where walkers were slowly headed towards them. They hurried inside and Nick introduced his group; Travis, Madison, Alicia and Chris, to Rick, Morgan and Duane. 

Nick has been on the road since Rick has been in a coma, traveling all the way from  _ California  _ to get back home. His group also  _ knew  _ a lot. Like everyone who dies,  _ turns. _ No matter  _ how  _ they die they  _ will  _ come back, which just  _ sounds  _ fucking crazy. Rick also learns everything is  _ gone _ , most of the major cities have been bombed in futile efforts to stop the spread of the virus. There was no stopping it, it had spread worldwide. This was the dead’s world now and  _ they  _ were just living in it.

“Where would  _ Dami  _ go?” Nick asks worriedly, once Rick’s curiosity had been satiated. 

“There was talk of a refugee camp up near Atlanta, might have headed there.” Morgan suggests.

“Shane would’ve made sure to get them out,” Rick assures his son. “And Merle, wouldn’t let anything happen to them either. We’re gonna find them, Nick, I  _ swear  _ it.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos you guys :) I hope you like this chapter :) I don't have a beta so all mistakes are my own and I'm very sorry for them lol.

Chapter 2

**_Alicia_ **

She can’t  _ believe  _ they actually found Nick’s dad. Alicia tips her head back, letting the hot water flow over her long brown hair. It’s been  _ forever _ since they’ve been able to have a hot shower, the last time was probably when they found that solar paneled cottage, a few states back. She didn’t think they’d find anything but more dead at Nick’s house.

But there was his dad, freshly awake from a  _ coma _ , brushing that off like it’s no  _ big  _ deal. What a  _ fucking _ badass. Her mom is still recovering from her own gunshot, her wound only a few weeks old, but she really doubts that her mom will be able to shake it off after only  _ two  _ months, like Rick is doing. He’s not planning on slowing down at  _ all _ . Already having convinced Travis and her mom that the group should head towards Atlanta. Once again her family is searching for Nick’s.

They had all thought that once Nick had seen they were dead, then maybe they could finally find somewhere to settle down and make safe. They figured they would just find an abandoned farm somewhere around here and make it safe, but now she’s filled with  _ hope _ . If Nick could travel all this way and find his dad  _ alive _ , then maybe the rest of his family is  _ too _ . And if that kind of miracle can happen in  _ these  _ times, then there’s a reason to keep going, keep surviving, to keep  _ living _ . 

She washes her body twice, scrubbing hard to get every  _ bit  _ of filth off her. Nick was the one who figured out that covering yourself in the wasted’s blood, hid you from them, made you  _ safe _ . It’s how they made it across the country, scavenging through stores no one else would, because the dead didn’t  _ see  _ them. It’s how Nick got the medicine for her mom, walked right in an  _ overrun  _ hospital, walked out  _ unharmed  _ with everything they needed. 

_ Nick _ was the reason any of them were still alive, he could hunt, fresh meat was hard to come by these days, though he said his  _ Dami _ and Uncle Merle were better at it. He was  _ smart _ , understood people in a way her and her family just  _ didn’t _ , having met his dad, she had a pretty good idea where he got that from. Nick was a survivor through and through, he’d been made for this world. After hearing all the stories Nick told about his parents, she was sure they couldn’t find better people to survive with.

When she’s finally as clean as she will ever be, she gets out and dresses. Travis, Chris and Rick are loading up a police car, while Morgan and Duane are loading Morgan’s vehicle. Morgan had declined coming with them at first, he’d said he couldn’t leave his wife like  _ that,  _ but he’d been unable to take care of her himself. Nick had done it for him, while Morgan and Duane stayed in the house and they buried her under the tree in Rick’s front yard. 

So now they were all headed to Atlanta, to find the rest of Nick’s family, Nick and his dad, with her and Chris in the Cruiser. Travis and her mom were riding with Morgan and Duane. 

She didn’t know if miracles could happen twice, but she certainly was  _ hoping  _ they could.

**_Daryl_ **

“’M goin’ on a hunt, watch Carl ‘til I get back?” Daryl rasps as he walks up to Merle. He’s sitting outside Dale’s RV, leaning his chair back against it on two legs. Merle looks up at him, blue eyes squinting and folds his hands across his middle.

“Think no one heard ya this mornin’?,” Merle grunts, causing Daryl’s stomach to twist in alarm. “Or the past  _ three  _ mornin’s, little brother?” Daryl turns to walk away, he can’t talk about this right now. Merle shoots his hand out, gripping Daryl's forearm and stopping him from escaping.

“We ain’t done talkin’, boy.” Merle croons, the tone sounding mocking, even when he’s anything but. 

“‘S nothin’ t’ talk ‘bout.” Daryl growls. He’s  _ not _ talking about this. He’s not  _ ready _ . Can’t even  _ think  _ about it. Merle’s studying him closely, before he stands up letting go of Daryl’s arm. 

“Can’t watch yer boy, goin’ on a run. Things we need, sides meat.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Daryl scoffs.

“I don’t know, baby brother, maybe I’ll pick up sum  _ vitamins  _ for ya.” Merle smirks.  _ Prenatals _ is what the asshole means. 

“Fuck you, Merle.” Daryl turns again, done with his brother and his bullshit, and the day’s just started. Merle follows, he’s like a dog with a  _ fucking _ bone, once he gets started.

“Too far along for mornin’ after pill, Darylina, ain’t no more clinics neither.” He so  _ helpfully _ points out.

“You gotta  _ point  _ with this shit?” Daryl snarls in Merle’s face, they were by their tents now, at the edge of the camp. As private as they were going to get for this conversation that he really did  _ not  _ want to have.

“Gotta bun ‘n the oven, little brother, denyin’ it’s there, don’t change the fact it is.” Merle spoke softly, careful of any ears. “I  _ know  _ you never wanted to do this without ‘im, but you don’t gotta choice, Daryl. Gotta stay alive for ya’ son. Means ya gotta take  _ care  _ of y’self.” Daryl  _ hated  _ Merle, he never just let Daryl handle things at his  _ own  _ pace, always Merle’s. 

Daryl didn’t care that he was  _ right _ , ignoring his pregnancy wasn’t doing anything but delaying the inevitable, but he wasn’t  _ ready _ . He wasn’t sure he could keep  _ Carl  _ safe, let alone a newborn. In this world? Where the baby’s cries could lead walkers right to them? That’s if they even  _ survive  _ the birth, either one of them could’ve died  _ before _ the apocalypse. Male pregnancies were risky  _ with _ modern medicine, even when he’d had Nick and Carl, he or they could’ve  _ died _ during the birth. Now he couldn’t even imagine how it was even possible that he could survive giving birth or that this baby would.

“No more hospitals  _ neither _ ,” Daryl growls. “How ya ‘spect me to have a baby and  _ stay alive _ ?” Merle just fucking  _ shrugged _ .

“Same way they did for thousands a years before.”

“Yeah? They  _ died,  _ Merle.” Not  _ all _ of them obviously, but a lot  _ more  _ men died during labor than women. They just weren’t built to handle it as well. Daryl felt like shouting, or maybe punching Merle in the fucking face.

“Not all a ‘em, baby brother. It'll work out just fine, you’ll see. Now ‘m gonna gitcha some baby pills and you go hunt, yeah? ‘M sure Lori’ll watch ya boy for ya.” Merle patted Daryl’s shoulder and headed back to the RV, presumably to resume waiting to go on the run. Guess Glenn was taking a group this time. 

Daryl didn’t really concern himself with what was going on with the camp decisions, he left that up to Merle and Shane, he’d rather be hunting. Out there providing meat for his group, and honestly he didn’t know when the damn morning sickness that was  _ never  _ just in the morning, would hit. Better to be out there than here, where Daryl randomly puking his guts up would draw one too many questions. Guess there was no point in trying to hide it now, not that he was going to be able to  _ hide  _ it at all much longer, he already had a small bump concealed under his shirt.

He’d taken a test the morning Rick got shot, they’d been trying to have another for a while. He’d been  _ so  _ happy, but then Shane gave him the worst news of his life. He hasn’t told anyone, just his  _ luck  _ Merle would figure it out. He’s probably pushing sixteen weeks now if he calculated right. Daryl places his hand gently on his belly, curving around the small bump that could have been taken for a beer belly. No he wouldn’t have been able to keep denying it at all in another week or two.

It’d taken longer for him to show with his first, barely gaining any weight at all, he looked like a beanpole with a basketball stuck under his shirt by the end. With Carl he’d started packing on the weight almost immediately. He had started showing practically right away, and it had taken _years_ for him to finally lose all the baby weight. Given the circumstances, Daryl didn’t think he’d balloon up like that again, but he would’ve preferred this pregnancy to be like his first all the way around. Nick had been _ready_ to come out, Daryl had gone into labor at barely thirty seven weeks and Nick had taken no more than _two_ hours to come out. 

Now he’s probably  _ dead _ , Daryl pushes the thought away, he doesn’t  _ know _ that, not for sure. He’d rather imagine his eldest is somewhere safe, Nick was smart,  _ despite _ his addiction. Daryl had taught him how to hunt and track, and Rick had taught him how to shoot. He has the skills needed to survive, Daryl  _ knew _ that, but it was hard to keep believing  _ that _ , with the world the way it was now. He’s  _ alive _ , he  _ has _ to be, wherever he is.

He slips inside his tent to grab his bow, stepping over a pile of Carl’s dirty clothes, right in the middle of the floor. Carl, on the other hand, hadn’t wanted to come out, the  _ brat _ . He’d been nice and  _ cozy _ inside his  _ Dami _ , and he wasn’t giving that up at  _ all _ . They’d induced him after forty one miserable weeks, he’d been as big as a damn whale at that point, and then  _ Carl _ had taken  _ twelve  _ hours to come out. Daryl had been adamant he was  _ never _ doing that again, but he found he hated the idea of an empty nest _ more _ than the agony of labor, well  _ before _ when it was  _ safe _ to have another baby. So really this kid could go either way, and that’s  _ just  _ if it works out and they both survive. 

Daryl didn’t even want to  _ think  _ about it any more, they needed meat, so he needed to hunt. 

**_Nick_ **

They were just outside of Atlanta when his dad began messing with the radio in his police cruiser, trying to get someone to answer on the emergency channel. 

“Dad! Don’t  _ do  _ that!” Nick said, reaching out to switch it off.

“If that refugee camp is here then I should be able to contact them, Nick. Your  _ Dami  _ and brother could be there.” Rick says flipping the radio back on.

“Or you could contact bad people that just want to take what we have and  _ kill  _ us.” Nick deadpanned. Did his dad not realize the wasted weren’t the only threat? That they were more likely to die at the hands of  _ people _ now, rather than the dead?

“Wow you sounded a  _ lot  _ like Chris just now, are you feeling ok?” Alicia pipes up from that back seat. Chris just rolls his eyes without a response, which means he either  _ agrees _ with Nick for once or he  _ knows _ he can be a bit of a drama queen and has no defense for it. 

“I’m just trying to get my  _ Dad _ to understand that just because he has his  _ uniform  _ on, doesn’t  _ mean  _ it’s going to be like  _ before _ .” Nick stresses staring at his dad the entire time, willing him to  _ listen _ .

“I  _ know  _ that, Nick, it still doesn’t change the fact that we gotta find that camp. To do that we need to contact them.” Rick keeps trying to get someone on the radio, until they are just outside the city. Then they pull over and park, so the adults can make a plan, since Nick refuses to  _ not  _ be considered an adult, he’s 18 now  _ goddammit _ , he follows his Dad over to Morgan’s vehicle. Alicia and Chris stay in the cruiser.

“I wanna go in, see if I can find any signs of the camp. We should scavenge some while we’re here, as well.” 

“We should stick  _ together _ ,” Nick says. “Cities are dangerous, we shouldn’t split up. Never know when you’ll run into a large group of wasted”

“Nick’s right,” Travis agrees. “Even after the bombings cities will be overflowing with the dead. We’ll need to be careful and quiet.” His Dad nods his head, humming a bit in thought. At least he’s listening to them.

“Ok, so we go in quietly and stick together then. Turn your walkie on, we should stay in contact, just in case.” His Dad instructs waiting for an agreement before heading back to the cruiser.

They drive into the city in silence, hyper aware of the danger they were headed towards. The streets were littered with trash and abandoned vehicles, broken glass all over the sidewalks, blood splattered the buildings and the ground. It was clear to Nick that the same chaos he’d seen happening as he drove to Alicia’s house, happened everywhere. Street after street all the same, until finally they came across an army tank at what seemed to have been a barricade. They pulled over and got out. It was abandoned, most likely overrun, but it could have some ammo or supplies left in it. They all got out of their vehicles, hands on their weapons, cautious in their approach.

“Duane, stay close,” Morgan commanded quietly. They moved as a group towards the tank, Nick climbed up and peered inside, he could see one soldier, possibly wasted. Sometimes they were  _ tricky  _ like that, they didn’t all wander around, some just stayed where they died, until  _ something  _ got them up and moving. Just then he heard what sounded like a helicopter, Nick looked up, head swinging around trying to find the source, as did everyone else, it was  _ loud _ . His dad ran to look around the corner, probably to try and spot where it was going, but quickly turned back.

“Nick! Get down, we need to go!” Rick says, moving towards him. Nick jumped down, but it was too late, the noise from the helicopter had brought out the wasted in  _ droves _ . The street behind the cars was filling up quickly, blocking off a clean retreat and the huge group from around the corner was already heading their way. They were surrounded. Nick pulled out his gun, stepping back towards the others as they formed a circle around Duane and Madison. She had her injured arm wrapped tight around the boy and her other raised with a small handgun.

They all started shooting, taking down the closest dead, but it was only a matter of time until they ran out of ammo. The noise of gunfire was just bringing more and more of the dead, they were going to be overrun just like the  _ stupid _ barricade they’d stopped at.

“Over here! Come on!  _ Quick _ !” A young man’s voice rang out over the shots. They all rush towards the Asian man hanging out an alley, waving them over. As soon as they get to the alley he leads them to a ladder. “Come on climb  _ hurry _ !” There was more wasted coming down the alley from the other end. Travis moves with his gun to take them out, while his Dad was shooting into the crowd on the other side of the alley fence. The dead were pushing up against it, their fingers gripping and shaking the fence, mouths open and drooling, trying to bite them through the metal.

The man is probably in his early twenties at most, he leads them up to the roof, over two adjacent buildings, and down into another alleyway that was blocked off by a bus. He calls someone on his walkie, about two “geeks” in the alley, just before they climb down. By the time they get to the ground, two men have come out of yet  _ another  _ building to beat the wasted’s head with a bat. They end up inside a department store, with an angry blonde woman getting in his dad’s face pointing her gun, yelling about how he’s  _ killed  _ them all. Really dramatic like, which is really something, since he’s used to Chris’s dramatics and shouldn’t be shocked at this lady’s at all. But was the gun really fucking  _ necessary _ ? 

“Oh  _ please _ ,” Nick says. “It’s  _ your  _ yelling that’s gonna get people killed. There’s enough of us here that we can come up with a plan that saves us  _ all _ , as long as we work  _ together _ .” Nick  _ was  _ trying to de-escalate the situation, he did  _ just  _ get his dad back and  _ didn’t  _ need some crazy blonde taking him out. But he  _ wasn’t  _ gonna act like this lady wasn’t being a giant  _ moron _ . “I mean thanks for saving us..”, Nick turns to look at the guy that saved them questioningly.

“Glenn.” He helpfully provides.

“ _ Glenn _ , thank you for saving us, we all  _ really  _ appreciate the risk you took. I’m Nick, that’s my dad Rick Grimes,” Nick quickly introduces his group, further easing the tension. The blonde having already let his dad go and stepped back,  _ good _ , she can be reasoned with. 

Glenn introduces his group as well, the blonde is Andrea, a black man called T-Dog, a big Hispanic man called Morales and a small black woman named Jacqui. Before anything more could be said they hear gunshots from the roof.

“That’s Merle!” Glenn says, rushing towards another part of the store, where Nick assumes there is roof access.

“Merle?” His Dad echoes following Glenn, the entire group follows him up a set of stairs to the roof. “Merle!” Nick doesn’t think he’s ever heard his dad sound  _ so  _ happy to see his brother-in-law. Hell, Nick doesn’t think  _ anyone's  _ ever been so happy to see Merle. His dad pulled the shocked redneck into a tight hug.

“Officer Friendly?” Merle whispers in disbelief. Nick quickly walks over, and rather enjoys the look of absolute  _ shock  _ on Merle’s face at the sight of  _ him _ .

“ _ Nicky _ , that you boy?” Nick chooses to ignore the way his Uncle’s voice shakes and steps up to hug the older man. He doesn’t blame him, the last his family had heard from Nick, he was high as a kite and had been told by his  _ Dami _ , he couldn’t come home unless he was  _ clean _ . Which he is  _ now _ , but he doubts any of them thought they’d see him again, especially  _ after _ the world ended.

“Daryl?” His father asks hopefully.

“He’s safe. Him n Carl are back at camp.” Merle assures them. They were  _ alive _ . His family, all of them, were fucking  _ alive _ . His dad was overwhelmed, bracing his hands on his knees, while Nick just hugged Merle again, happy.

“While this is  _ touching  _ and all, I feel the need to remind you that we are  _ surrounded  _ by walkers. No thanks to  _ you _ , and those glass doors aren’t going to keep them out forever.” Andrea snootily informs them. Nick hates her already.

In the end, it was a simple plan, him and his dad covered themselves in blood from the wasted in the alley. Not as  _ much  _ as his dad was trying to go for, guess he was thinking  _ more  _ is better? It isn’t, but it is a good way to get  _ sick _ . There was no need to put nasty guts and body parts on yourself when just some blood on your face and clothes will do the trick. Saves  _ time _ . They moved through the dead with ease, his Dad looking amazed as the dead paid them no attention. 

They reached the parking lot down the road with no problem and finding the mustang was easy enough with all the abandoned vehicles. His Dad hot-wired it, something his _Dami_ had chosen not to teach _him._ _Dami_ probably thought he’d _never_ need the skill, although why his _cop_ Dad did, he doesn’t know. Nick led the wasted out of the immediate area with the alarm blaring on the mustang, while his dad took the truck back to pick up the others, as well as their own vehicles. 

Ditching the car was easy, he just stepped out of it, letting it roll away, the wasted flowing around him as they followed the noise. Nick walks back, through the dead, still covered in blood. Glenn’s group look shocked as hell when he walks up, he assumes they thought he would meet them outside the city, rather than walking back to the cars through a  _ herd _ . 

It didn’t start raining until he was  _ just  _ making it back, and the road around their cars was cleared of the wasted anyway. They follow Glenn in the truck out of the city where he would  _ finally  _ get to see his  _ Dami  _ and his little brother again.

**_Rick_ **

Merle rides back with them, says he wasn’t going to let them out of his sight. Nick squeezes into the backseat with Alicia and Chris, still covered in blood, though he did wipe it off his face at least. The kids were quiet, but Merle has something to say. He  _ always _ has something to say. 

“Ya boy Shane, told us you was  _ dead, _ Rick. Gone up to the hospital to gitcha, Daryl said he wouldn’t leave without ya, yeah ‘course my brother woulda never left ya. But Shane came back n said ya’d  _ died _ . That’s the only reason we left, Rick, never would’ve gone had we known you was still kickin’”. Merle didn’t even try to keep it between him and Rick, voice loud as always. Nick immediately sits forward.

“Wait, Uncle Shane  _ left  _ you? To  _ die _ ?”

“Let’s just hold up now. Wait until I  _ talk  _ to him, he wouldn’t just  _ do  _ that.” Rick assures them. He knew his partner, they’d been friends since high school. They were each other's best man, for Christ’s sake. Shane didn’t just  _ leave  _ him, no way Rick was just going to believe that. Merle had it wrong, something else happened, it wasn’t  _ like _ that _. _

“Alright, Officer Friendly.” Merle says. “Just letting ya know, cuz my brother’s not gonna be too happy with Shane. Not when he realizes he left ya. Fixin’ to have a real pissed off Dixon on your hands.”

“I  _ know _ .” Rick says, parking the car and taking a deep breath, he was hoping Daryl would just be too happy to see him alive, and not even consider Shane. Not until Rick could speak to him and find out his side. 

His family was going to be together  _ again _ . Rick takes another steadying breath, ignoring the ache in his side from his still healing wound. For the first time since  _ long  _ before the dead came back,  _ all _ his family together in one place,  _ safe _ . He steps out, nodding his head at Morgan and his group getting out of the vehicle, while Glenn’s group files out of the back of the truck, walking around it towards the camp. Merle and Nick are on either side of him as he follows them, his eyes scanning for the rest of his family.

Shane sees him first, and the look on his face is all the  _ answer  _ Rick needs. Shane looks like he just saw a ghost, but he’s really excited about it. Shane didn’t leave him, not with that reaction, no he truly thought Rick was dead.

“Dad? Dad!” Carl yells out happily, running over to throw himself into his father’s arms. Rick squeezes him tight and feels Nick lean into his side. “Nick!” Carl throws himself at his big brother, too happy to contain it. Rick looks around, expecting to see Daryl, his family now complete again, but he’s nowhere in sight.

“He’s out on a hunt, been obsessed with keeping us stocked on meat.” Shane gruffly says, correctly guessing who Rick was looking for. Shane pulls him into a hug. “I thought you were  _ dead _ ” He whispers brokenly. Rick pats his back and pulls back. “I’ve never been so happy to be  _ wrong _ . Good to have ya back, man.” 

“I know, Merle told me,” Rick smiles, making sure to make eye contact for what he’s gonna say next. “ _ Thank _ you, Brother, for getting my family out.” Shane smiles sheepishly and shrugs.

“Well, I had help from your  _ douchebag  _ brother in law, but I knew if roles were reversed, you’da made sure Lori was safe for me.” Shane says before his eyes focus past Rick’s shoulder, where Carl is already talking Nick’s ear off. “Nick? Is that  _ you _ ? Come here, boy!” Shane pulls Nick into a tight hug and Rick sees his son return the embrace, he knew what Rick knew, Shane was innocent. 

Rick’s boys love both their uncles, Merle would take them hunting and fishing, when their  _ Dami  _ had to work, and went on camping trips with Daryl and the boys every summer. Hell he’d had a week long trip planned for Carl this summer. Shane would come over and play with them for  _ hours _ , didn’t matter their age, he’d keep them entertained. Shane and Lori were Rick and Daryl’s babysitter most every anniversary and date night. 

Rick introduces his group and was introduced to a few more of his  _ new  _ group, including an older man named Dale with the RV and Andrea’s sister Amy, who was much nicer to him. Merle leads the group over where Daryl’s and his tents were set up, right along the edge of the camp towards the cliff, the safest spot as far as Rick could tell. Morgan sets up his and Duane’s tent on the other side of where Merle said Daryl’s tent was, in between them and the camp. Travis and Madison set up their two tents behind Morgan and Rick’s tents in between them and the forest.

Rick looked around the campsite, the tents were spread out back into the forest, the RV lined up along the cliffside, with a row of vehicles in a line behind it. The cliff looked out over the quarry, the water losing its sparkle in the fading light. The forest was thick around them on the other side, there wasn’t a clear line of sight,  _ anyone  _ could sneak up on them. 

Rick adds it to the list of things to deal with later and enters his tent. Daryl’s pallet was on the left and Carl’s on the right, with what was clearly his son's dirty clothes  _ right  _ in the middle. Shaking his head, he drops his bag and pulls out a change of clothes. He'd used a jacket over his uniform,  _ unlike  _ his son who didn’t care about his clothes anymore, but he could still smell the stink of the dead. Rick was hoping his husband would be back soon, while he knew Daryl wouldn’t care, he did not want to remind him of  _ death _ , when they  _ were  _ finally reunited.

  
As the sun sets fully, it was clear Daryl was  _ not _ coming back from his hunt tonight. Rick knew that Daryl trusted Shane, Lori and Merle, to keep Carl safe, so he could hunt for them all, but he didn’t like the idea of him out there at night,  _ alone _ . Rick just wants to hold him again. Instead he climbs into his tent, Nick and Carl already passed out on Carl’s pallet, and slips into Daryl’s blankets,  _ alone. _

**Author's Note:**

> When I was trying to figure out what Nick and Carl call Daryl, I came across Dami. Which is Daddy+Mommy=Dami :)  
> Also bolded parts were taken word for word from a transcript for that episode. credit where credits due and all that jazz.


End file.
